FIRESTONE -- Two bum knees and two sausage dogs pushed Linda Duncan to pick up a two-seater baby stroller at a garage sale last summer.

It gives her stability and her two dachshunds -- Bonnie and Willie -- a lift when their stubby legs tire on evening walks.

"We get a lot of strange looks, but it works for all of us," Duncan said, laughing.

On June 25, the retired secretary-turned-children's-author celebrated her passion for placing animals in good homes with a debut book, "The Lonely Little Dachshund"(Tate Publishing), which comes with a free audio book download.

Cartoon illustrations in the 20-page softcover work help tell the story of a Dachshund puppy named Clyde waiting at a pet shop for his forever family -- a story Duncan based on a trip her daughter-in-law and two grandsons made in 2003 to a pet shop in Yuma, Ariz.

The Firestone resident's book imaginatively explores how a dog -- the last puppy left in the litter -- might feel.

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"... Were his feet too big? Were his ears too long? Was his tail too short?" Duncan, 68, writes.

Along came Willie

Now, both she and her daughter-in-law, Holly Duncan, 41, of Broomfield, forgo pet shops for animal shelters.

"My motto now is 'Adopt, don't shop,'" Duncan said. "... I'm not against pet stores. But there are just so many fine animals that need a home."

Her philosophical shift came in 2008 when Holly Duncan called from North Carolina, where her husband, Bill Duncan, was stationed with the U.S. Marines.

Firestone resident Linda Duncan's dog, Willie, rests on the hardwood floor at her house on Tuesday.
(
Greg Lindstrom
)

A friend there found a skinny, shaggy Dachshund later named Willie wandering the streets of nearby Morehead City.

"When this friend brought him by, I told her, 'I'm done with dogs. We already have rescued three. But I can send him to grandma," Holly Duncan said, smiling at her mother-in-law as Willie waddled around Linda Duncan's living room with Bonnie, a Dachshund purchased before Willie from a private owner in Firestone.

Linda Duncan and her husband, Bud Duncan, agreed to adopt the stray and marveled at how he flourished.

He gained weight --may be too much with all the treats he gets --and no longer shied away when someone raised a hand to pull off a hat or glasses.

His coat got silky, and his tail wagged as if battery powered.

Willie became a friend to kids at the park and a model of how a dog's life can go from awful to wonderful in a caring home.

"But to this day he always acts like he's not going to get another meal," Linda Duncan said.

A message for the little people

Though her book focuses on Clyde, the Dachshund purchased by her son and his family at the pet store, Linda Duncan knows that Willie is the real focus of her work now.

Ten percent of direct sales goes to Almost Home Adoptions in Westminster, her favorite no-kill shelter.

This spring, she started spreading the word about animals awaiting adoption by reading her book to children at elementary schools, libraries and day cares. She also sent letters to schools across the state to plan visits this fall.

Ryan Duncan, 16, remembers the pet shop visit that inspired his grandmother to write her first children's book.

For that reason, he feels part of her project -- especially since the illustrator used a photo of his family as a model for the mom, dad and two boys featured on its pages.

"Grandma, she's really good with kids. She's always been good to us, and in front of other kids, she'll do just fine," he said in support of her role as author and animal adoption advocate.

Getting this platform by getting published wasn't easy, Duncan said.

She sent out 16 query letters only to get two rejection letters and no response from 12 other publishers.

But Duncan suspects Tate Publishing picked her up because the book celebrates a universally appealing lost-and-found theme.

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